If You Take It
by KeepCalmAndLove
Summary: The last thing Prince Gabriel wants to do is try to court the Goblin Princess. But when he meets her, he finds himself with a bigger situation. Now he is stuck in the Labyrinth, competing with 3 other princes, trying to get to the end to win Princess Laurel's hand. Will he make it out alive and victorious, or will he perish inside the Labyrinth walls?
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1:

"Gabriel!" I snap out of my daze and look at my younger brothers. Michael and Samuel are identical thirteen year-old twins and look exactly like me when I was that age, with black hair, pale white skin, and full lips. The only difference between us is our eyes. While they inherited my father's gold eyes, I inherited my mother's silver ones. They are both dressed in identical tunics, in the royal colors of blue and silver with the royal crest placed right over their hearts, and identical silver crowns that showed while they were not in direct line for the throne, they were still in high standing.

"What?"

"Father want to see you." Says Michael. "Something about getting ready for the ball tonight." Samuel says with a smirk. I groan. "And where is he now?"

"Where do you think he is? The throne room." I sigh and start to walk towards my impending doom. Father is waiting for me at the side of his throne. "You asked for me, Father?"

He looks up at me and seems almost surprised by my presence. "Ah, Gabriel, I didn't hear you come in. But, yes, I did wish to speak to you about tonight." I accidentally groan again.

King Jareth, ruler of the Labyrinth, the largest kingdom of the Underground, decided to host a ball, where every eligible prince of the Seven Kingdoms was to attend, in hopes of winning the hand of his daughter, the Princess Laurel.

Normally, I would jump at the chance, if it were not for the fact that King Jareth was also the Goblin King and no one knew anything about his kingdom. I personally did not want to court a little goblin wearing a pretty dress and tiara. But, as my duty as Crown Prince of the Fallen Angels, I had to go to this ball.

"Gabriel, I know it is tough courting a princess that you hardly know anything about, but think of your people. This is your last chance, otherwise your uncle will inherit the kingdom. Please I am begging you to go." That last part he says with regret and sorrow tainting his voice, making me outwardly cringe. "Alright, I'll do it. But don't expect me to enjoy it."

A slight smile graces his lips. "Thank you. Your mother would be proud." I my heart aches a little when he says that last part, but I nod to him and turn on my heel out the door. On my way out I spot Michael and Samuel waiting outside the door.

"So, Gabriel, excited for tonight? After all, it's not everyday you get to court a goblin princess." Michael continues with, "And we also hear that your competing for the creature's hand. Against five other princes too!"

"Shut up." I growl to them. The back off and head down the hallway with identical smirks on their identical faces. Shaking my head and sighing, I stalk off to my room to get dressed and ready for tonight.

...

"Ouch! Please, Maria, for the love of mercy, stop pulling my hair out!" The plump maid who has attended to me since birth gives me a look. "Well, if you would hold still, it wouldn't hurt as much. And I have to brush it or else it will become all matted." I shut up and stay still until she's done.

"There, that should do it. Now if you could produce your wings." I sigh and extend my wings. Every angel's wings are different. Mine are a stunning bluish silver with razor sharp feathers that could cut someone if they weren't careful. My brothers had a variation of my wings, but they weren't exactly the same as mine.

Maria runs a specially created brush over my wings, sharpening the dull feathers as it goes. She finishes, and I retract my wings. Maria takes one more looks at me, then places my crown on my head. The crown is silver, just like my brothers', but is less thin and almost looks like a ring of feathers and iron.

"Oh" Maria says wiping away a tear.

"Just look at you, those other princes don't stand a chance against you."

"Thank you, but don't forget that I'm trying to beat five other men for the chance to marry a goblin."

She raises an eyebrow at me and gives me a look that says,_ 'Don't you think I know that already? Now stop spoiling my moment.'_ "Okay, okay, I surrender." I says with a grin, laughing an putting my hands up. I lean in and kiss her cheek. "Thank you. I'll try to win her heart for you." She smiles warmly at me. "Oh, I don't care if you win or you lose. Just try your best and I'll be proud. Now go on, before you're late."

I bid Maria goodbye and hurry outside the castle to where the carriage that currently holds my father awaits. I step into the silver and blue carraige and sit across from my father. He nods to the carriage driver and we're off.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2:

In less than 20 minutes, we are being escorted inside the palace by a goblin wearing the royal crest of the Labyrinth. Another goblin awaits at the top of the stairs where we are to wait to be presented.

"King Merlin and his son Prince Mordred of the Sorceror Kingdom. King Phontam and his son Prince Lyre of the Elf Kingdom. Queen Serena and her son Prince Robin of the Faerie Kingdom. Queen Evelyn and her son Prince Dadrid of the Vampire Kingdom. King Soverain and his son Prince Nicholas of the Werewolf Kingdom. King Uriel and his son Prince Gabriel of the Fallen Angel Kingdom."

Father and I step up and descend the stairs while the goblin scurries off. We make it down into the center of the goblin and chicken filled ballroom, when the goblin who introduced us appears again.

"Presenting his Majesty, Jareth the Goblin King." The goblin scoots to the side as double doors open to reveal a rather handsome (and human) looking man with wild blond hair and mismatched blue and brown eyes. The doors behind him close and he takes it as his cue to look at us. He smiles and opens his arms towards us in a warm and welcoming gesture."Welcome, gentleman and ladies, to my kingdom. As you all know, I have opened up my kingdom to you all in hopes of finding a husband for my daughter. Tomorrow you will all compete in an event against each other, picked by my daughter herself, in hopes of winning her hand and her love. But tonight, I shall let you fine young gentleman get acquainted with your possible future wife. So, without further ado, may I present, Princess Laurel, the Goblin Princess."

The doors open again and I can't keep my jaw from hitting the floor. Standing in the doorway is possibly the most beautiful woman in the entire world. Princess Laurel is about 5'7", with pale skin, ebony hair with blue highlights that goes to her waist, falling in ringlets, blood red and full lips that frame dazzling white teeth, and mismatched blue and brown eyes like her father's that are surrounded by thick, black eyelashes. She has a slim build with the right amount of curves in the right places. A silver crown adorned with sliver leaves and gold flowers sits upon her dainty head and compliments the long, ivory dress that floats around her.

While in my daze, I notice something off about the princess. Although she is stunning in every way possible, one couldn't help but notice the fake smile she sported. I'm not left to think about this long when she opens her mouth and the most gorgeous sound that is her voice comes out.

"Thank you all for coming. It will be a pleasure getting to know you all tonight. I will have the goblins escort you to your rooms later on, but please enjoy the festivities first. And I would advise you to get to know everyone else while you can. After all, it's wise to know the weaknesses of your competition, no?" And with that, she twirls off in a flurry of ivory silk and ebony hair and leaves. A goblin hobbles out and tugs on who I think is Prince Mordred's pant leg and motions towards a door in the corner. Prince Mordred is a short young fellow, with blonde hair, warm amber eyes and tanned skin. The gold and brown clad prince follows the goblin towards the door and enters inside. We never see him for the rest of the evening.

We all proceed with the festivities, getting to know our competition during the process, like the princess advised us to. Prince Lyre and Prince Robin turned out to be cousins since the faeries and elves are so alike. But you wouldn't think at all that they were even related distantly. Prince Robin, or Puck as he asked us to call him, was tall with pale and freckled skin, a lean build and bright scarlet hair and flashing green eyes. Prince Lyre, on the other hand, was squatter, but still thin, and had blonde hair and blue both were equally friendly and humorous. Prince Dadrid on the other hand, had an ego as large as my wings, and acted hostile to all of us, especially to Prince Nicholas. Prince Dadrid was tall, muscular, had deathly pale skin, dark eyes, jet black hair and dark red lips. Occasionally his fangs would show up, displaying how dangerous he was. Prince Nicholas was equally hostile towards Prince Dadrid, but was friendlier to us. Prince Nicholas was shorter than the rest of us, but was still tall, had snow white hair and bright blue eyes. Personally, I thought he looked like Jack Frost.

One by one they are all escorted by a goblin to the room where Prince Mordred had disappeared. This keeps happening until I am the only one left. A goblin tugs on my leg and leads me to the corner room. I thank the goblin, take a deep breath and push open the door.

The room appears to be the king's study, with books lining every wall and a fireplace and desk in the corner. Princess Laurel is sitting in an arm chair and motions for me to sit down in the one across from her. Once I get my self seated her smile disappears and is replaced with a cold and calculating expression.

"Gabriel, correct?"

"Yes, Princess Laurel."

"Laurel."

"Excuse me?"

"Call me Laurel. We are both royalty, and there is a possibility that we could be wed, so call me Laurel."

"Alright. Well Laurel, what did you want to talk about."

She thinks for a moment, then looks at me."Tell me, Gabriel, what did you expect tonight? A little goblin in a dress and tiara?" I laugh a little. "Well, actually, yes . I was. Now I see that I'm very much mistaken. My apologies, Laurel."

"There will be no need for them. But, what do you know about my kingdom?"

"Well, first, your kingdom is the largest one of the Seven Kingdoms. All of your subjects are goblins and the Labyrinth is apart of your city. Other than that, I don't know that much." She purses her lips and nods, clearly bemused by answer.

"Gabriel, I'm going to make you a deal." A round crystal appears in her hand and she starts playing with it. "Obviously, I'm not so thrilled with the idea of marrying someone who knows absolutely nothing about me or my kingdom-"

"Well what do you know about my kingdom?" She looked taken aback for a moment, but then her expression of shock turned into a smirk and the crystal disappears. "I know that the fallen angels were forced to live in the Underground hundreds of years ago, cast out of heaven because they chose neither side of the heavenly war. The angels then established themselves here, earning the status of 'fallen'. Their ultimate goal now is to gain entrance back into Heaven. Is there anything I missed?" She asks in a sweet voice.

There is nothing to say, except for the fact that I'm completely shocked.

"Well, now that that's out of the way, can we please return to what I was trying to offer you." The crystal re-appears at her fingertips, and she continues to play with it the same way she had before. "I'm offering you a gift. To be that king that gets the fallen angels back into heaven. Your every wish and desire, and all of your dreams. All you have to do, is take the crystal." I am dumbstruck by her offer, but as I reach to take the crystal, she pulls it back from me.

"But, if you take it, you have to drop out of the running for my hand. You'll leave the Goblin City and forget it entirely. But you still will have your dreams. So, what's it going to be. A competition you'll probably lose, or all of your dreams come true?"

I think for a while, then make my decision. "Well?" She asks impatiently. "No."

"Excuse me?" She almost sounds shocked. "I said no. My people need a queen more than they need to get back into heaven. I'll find a way back, but if my uncle rules the kingdom, I'll never have the chance. So, I won't take your offer. I'm still in the competition for your hand."

For a minute, I expect her to slap me by the look of her face, but then it turns eerily calm. She starts chuckling and says, "Diana!" A small, female goblin comes in. "Yes, Your Majesty?"

"Take Prince Gabriel to his bedchambers. Make sure he has a good sleep tonight and a good meal tomorrow morning. And also, make sure he has some of the best armor we have to offer."

"Yes, ma'am." The goblin curties, then proceeds to pull on my pant leg. I follow the goblin out the door and into my bed chamber. All I can think about as I lay myself to bed was Princess Laurel, and that look she had on her pretty face. Finally, I let sleep take my in it's dark embrace, and all goes dark.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3:

I awaken to a shaking sensation. Peeking my eyes open to see Diana on top of me. "Wake up, Prince Gabriel! We must get you ready for the competition today!"

"Alright. I'm up, I'm up." I groan to the little goblin. She hops off of me and proceeds to instruct what looks like six other goblin maids. Suddenly, I'm swarmed by a flurry of fabric and armor. When the maids are done, they stand back to take a look at their work.

I'm left standing in head to toe armor. The armor is a gleaming silver, with blue accents in the gloves, boots, and the large sapphire in my swords hilt.. The boots and gloves appear to be made of dragon's skin. The sword hangs on my hips, and I decide to inspect it.

I pull the sword out, surprised to see that it is the vibrant blue of my kingdom. Swinging it around a little, I see that it feels absolutely perfect, just like an extension of my arm. I smile at how perfect this sword is. Something occurs to me.

"Does this armor have slits for my wings?" I ask Diana. "Yes, Prince Gabriel." I extend my wings to make sure that the can fit through the slits. Retracting them, I say,"Thank you, Diana."

"Your welcome, Prince Gabriel. Now if you could please blow of this crystal, it should transport you to the competition grounds." She fishes a crystal, much like the one Laurel offered me last night, and places it in my hand. As instructed, I blow on it.

I feel as though I'm being pulled through a long and narrow tube. Colors blur past me and I feel my feet land hardly on the ground.

"Gabriel! So good to see you lad. We were starting to worry that you wouldn't show up!" I look around and see Puck and Nicholas walking towards me. "Am I the last one here?" I ask Puck. He nods his head. "Why would you think that I wouldn't come?"

"Lyre and Mordred dropped out of the running." Says Nicholas."What?" He nods his head sadly. "Did they give any reason why?"

"They must have taken her deal." I look at Puck quizzically. "What do you mean that they took her deal?" He gives me a look. "Didn't Princess Laurel offer you a deal? You know, if you dropped out of the running, she would grant every single one of your dreams?" Nicholas asks me.

"Yes." I tell them, remembering last night. "She did, but I refused her offer."

"Yes. That's what all of us did. But since Lyre and Mordred aren't here-"

"They must have her up on her offer." I finish for him. Something dawns upon me. "Wait. You said only Lyre and Mordred took her offer. What about Dadrid." Nicholas's shoulders slump and a disappointed expression dominated his features. He gestures with his thumb over his shoulder. "The royal pain is right over there. Still in the running, and still in our lives." Nicholas crosses his arms and looks peeved.

I look to where Nicholas had gestured, and sure enough, there is Dadrid prancing around in a snobbish and arrogant manner. "Boy, would I love to take him down a peg." Whispers Puck. "I would too. Hopefully he'll end up stuck in the mud or something." Nicholas nods his approval and continues to glares daggers into Dadrid's back.

"Announcing, His Majesty, King Jareth!" A trumpet sounds, and we all turn towards it. Jareth appears before us on a platform. We all line up and give our attention to the king. "Gentleman, as you all know, my daughter, Laurel has chosen the event for today. So, if you would please welcome, Princess Laurel."

Laurel appears is a swirl of glittering dust, looking regal as ever. She gives her fake smile and addresses us. "Gentlemen. As you know, Prince Lyre and Prince Mordred will not be accompanying us today, for they took the deal. But, no matter."

"I knew it. I knew they took the deal." Whispers Puck. "Shush." I tell him. Laurel's smile starts to fade a little bit, but she keeps her composure. "Today, gentlemen, you will be running the Labyrinth." Everyone starts whispering and Laurel puts her hands up as a sign for us to quiet down. "As you know, the Labyrinth is a large part of my kingdom. It would only be wise that a ruler of the Labyrinth would have conquered. Be warned, that even though you cannot be killed in there, the dangers are very real. First person to make it to the center wins. The guardian of the Labyrinth door will let you in. Good luck, and may the best man win."

She disappears in the same manner in which she came. King Jareth steps up to the platform. "Gentleman, thank you for your participation, and may the Good Lady bless you." And with that, he leaves in a flurry of trumpets and capes.

"Gentleman, take your marks!" Shouts a fairly large goblin. "On your mark, get set, go!" We all break into runs to head down the mountain side. All I can think is, _'I should have taken the deal.'_

...

I let myself stop running when I reach the outer wall of the Labyrinth. "Okay, now where's the door?" Humming and a squirting sound catches my attention. A dwarf is running around, spraying at fairies.

"Hey, Gabriel!" I turn to see Puck running towards me. "Puck. So glad to see you. Now, where do we find this door?" He looks like he's about to suggest something when we hear a voice. "69." The dwarf was still spraying at the fairies, taking pride in how many he could get. I motion to Puck towards the dwarf.

"Excuse me." The dwarf takes one look at us, and then continues spraying. "Excuse me, mister...?"

"Hoggle."

"What?" I ask him. "The name's Hoggle. Now what do you two want? 70."

"Are you the Guardian of the Doorway to the Labyrinth?" Asks Puck. "Why, yes. Yes I am. But who's asking."

"Forgive us, my name is Prince Gabriel of the Fallen Angel Kingdom, and this is Prince Robin of the Faerie Kingdom. But you may call us Gabriel and Puck."

"Fairy?" Hoggle eyes Puck suspiciously. "Different kind." Replies Puck. Hoggle shrugs and continues spraying. I look at Puck and we hurry to catch up with him.

"Excuse me, Hoggle? We were hoping you could tell us where the door to the Labyrinth is."

Hoggle then proceeds to do the strangest thing. He starts laughing.

"Lads, only one person has survived the Labyrinth, and you aren't her. 79"

"Who was she then?" I ask him. He stops spraying, his shoulders slump forward, and he looks at us with a sad look in his eyes. "A very good friend."

"Well wouldn't you honor this friend by telling us her name?" He sighs

And looks like he's debating with himself whether to tell us or not. Finally, he breaks his silence. "Her name was Sarah. Her majesty, the Goblin Queen Sarah."


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4:

"Queen Sarah? Who is she?" I ask the dwarf. "Queen Sarah was the sole Champion of the Labyrinth, the winner of King Jareth's heart, and mother to Princess Laurel."

"We never met a Queen Sarah." Puck tells the dwarf. "That's because she's visiting family in the Aboveground."

"Oh." I say. "But, why would she leave on such a momentous occasion for her daughter? And why did you refer to her in the past pretense?"

"Well, to answer your first question, she left because her brother had contracted a rare illness. Normally she would have sent a goblin in her place, but Princess Laurel insisted upon it. And I referred to her in past tense because, well, she's not the same Sarah I met when she first entered the Labyrinth. But, enough dilly dallying, you have a Labyrinth to run." He waves his hands towards the wall and double doors open up wide.

"Thank you." I tell him. We walk through the doors, which soon close behind us. In front of us is a brick wall and to either side of us are what seem to be never-ending corridors. "Do you think we should split up?" Puck asks me. I shake my head. "No, we should probably stick together. Besides, it's not like we have a time limit. So what harm would it cause us?"

"Okay, which one do want to take?"

"I would take the right one." A voice says. "Who's there?" I ask. "Down here." the voice says. Puck and I look down to see a little worm sitting on a brick. "Hello. My name is Prince Puck and this is Prince Gabriel."

"Ooh. Princes, I've never met a prince. Well, my name's M.R. Ow. I live here in the Labyrinth. So, you must be the unlucky boys who have to run for Princess Laurel's hand, eh?"

"Yes. We're just wondering which way we should go." I tell the worm. M.R. considers for a moment. "I would go right. It's the quickest way to the castle."

"Thank you M.R." Puck shouts to him as we head down the right pathway. "Your welcome!"

...

We keep walking down the right pathway for a while when we stumble into a courtyard. Two doors with goblins carrying shields stand in front of them. "Halt!" One cries out.

"We are the keepers of the doors. One door will lead you to the castle, and the other one will lead you to...dun dun dun...certain death!"

"Death?" Puck asks shocked. "Well, maybe not death, but certainly certain loss!" Another goblin states. "How do we know which door to choose?" I ask them. "We have to tell you. But-"

"Oh boy. Goblins are worse than the fey. What's the catch?"

"You can only ask one of us."

"And one of us always tells the truth."

"And the other one always lies."

"So how do we know which one of you is lying?" I ask them. "You don't!"

"That's what makes it so fun!" Puck stares at his feet for a second, his green eyes glittering. His head shoots up. "I've got it!"

He walks over to one of the goblins. "Would he tell me that this is the door that leads to the castle?" The goblin takes a moment to consider, the answers wearily,"Yes."

"Then I know that this is the door that leads to certain death." The goblin is shocked. "But, how do you know that?"

"Because if you're the one that lies, you would say that he would say this door leads to the castle."

"But what if I was telling the truth?!"

"Then he would still lie and say this door leads to the castle. So obviously, this is the door that leads to certain death." He walks over to the other door. "We choose this door."

The door opens and we walk through."Wow! This is so eas-" I'm cut off by Puck's screams as we fall through the ground. Multiple hands catch us and keep us there. "Up or down?" They ask. "Helping hands." Puck states.

"Yes. Now up or down?" They ask again. "Well, we're already halfway down, so down, I guess." I tell them. "They chose down!" The squeel. "Wait, wait! Can't we change our decision?" Puck cries out. "Nope! Down you go!" The hands lower us down into a dark, underground passage way.

"Guess we should have chosen up." I say. Puck looks at me incredulously. "Ya think?"

"Thank god! I'm no stuck here alone with this mutt anymore." We turn to see Dadrid and Nicholas slumped against a wall. Nicholas waves to us and we're flabbergasted.

"Oh, what a pity. And here I thought you all would make a different choice than my mother." We all turn to see Princess Laurel standing there with her arms behind her back. She is no longer wearing her gown from this morning, but a suit of armor, made of black dragon skin, no doubt. She tisks as she circles us like a vulture it's next meal.

"Well, I'm suprised to see you all fell into the oubliette. But, my mother did it and won. So there must be something lucky about it. Well, gentleman, since I know none of you will be capable of getting out of here on your own-"

"We can get out of here just fine without your help. Thank you very much." I interrupt her. The other princes are looking at me shocked, but Laurel only looks bemused. "Once again, dear Gabriel doesn't know when to be quiet. That's going to get you into trouble soon. Since you don't want my help, you can get out of this together."

We all start to protest, but she holds up her hand to silence us. "This will be good for you. After all, you will have to deal with each other when you're king." And with that, she vanishes in a swirl of dust and glitter.

"Thanks Gabriel. This is great, just great. You just had to run your mouth off to the princess, didn't you? I hope you have a plan to get us out." Dadrid tells me. "Don't get your fangs in a twist Dadrid. I can get us out of here."

"How?" Nicholas asks me. "Through there."

...

After lifting Dadrid, Nicholas, and Puck out of the hole in the ceiling of the oubliette, we find ourselves in a lagoon. "Well boys, let's start walking." I tell them.

Several minutes pass and I start hearing things. '_Gabriel.'_ I look around to where the voice could be, but concluding that I'm just imagining things, I shake my head and keep walking. _'Gabriel, come and play with us!'_

"Do you hear that?" Nicholas asks us. "Hear what?" Dadrid asks him. "A voice calling out your name."

"Yeah. I hear it."

"I hear it too."

"What is it?" We all look around for the source of the voices when a splashing noise catches our attentions. '_Boys!'_

'_Over here!'_

'_Come and play with us!'_

'_Oh come on, you know you want to!'_ The voices are coming from the lake in the distance. I look to see several girls standing on the outskirts of the lake. They're all laughing and splashing around. "Nymphs." Puck whispers.

Yes, they were nymphs. The water nymphs with their bluish skin, blue eyes and silver hair that floated around them, and the wood nymphs with tanned skin, green eyes and either blossoms or leaves as hair. They wave to us and Dadrid walks over to them.

A wood nymph with pink cherry blossoms for hair and a water nymph sit next to him or on his lap and start running their hands over him and through his hair. "Dadrid!" I shout to him. "What are you doing?"

"Choosing girls who actually want me! Besides, I don't want to rule by the side of a sour Goblin Princess and rule over those nasty things. If you don't want to join me, fine! More girls for me!" He laughs and the girls giggle and flock to him.

"Just leave him." Nicholas tells us. "Come on." We leave Dadrid to his new found fan base. And that's the last we see of the Vampire Prince.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5:

Nicholas, Puck and I are walking along the Labyrinth when an awful stench hits us like a brick wall. "Oh god! What is that?!" Puck coughs out. "I don't know, but if we don't get out of here soon, I'm going to pass out."

"You think you've got it bad?! My nose is on fire and I've got a raging headache. Oh! My eyes!"

"Look, we just need to get out of here! Any ideas?" Puck asks. Both of them look to me. "Fine. But this is the last time. Okay."

I expand my wings and hoist both of the up into the air. "Alright. Just a little more distance to go!" Puck tells me. But I'm exhausted and they're simply to heavy.

We plummet into the bog, but I manage to get us to land on the ground, since the smell seems to be coming from the water. "Who goes there?" A fox on a shaggy dog asks us.

"My name is Prince Gabriel, and this is Prince Robin and Prince Nicholas. We're here to run-"

"To run the Labyrinth in order to win the Princess Laurel's hand in marriage, yes. Everyone in the Labyrinth knows. Well, my name is Sir Didymus and this is my noble steed, Ambrosias." The fox tells us.

"Could you help us get out of here? Gabriel's wings are tired from carrying us over the bog." Nicholas asks Sir Didymus. "Of course my dear boy! This way." He turns Ambrosias around to lead us out of the bog.

...

"Ugh! I'm starving!" Puck cries out. "Tell me about it." Nicholas says. I spot something out of the corner of my eye. "Gentlemen, why don't we feast on some fruit?" I fly up to the branch and pluck three peaches.

Landing, I toss one to both of them. "To the winner of the fair Laurel's hand." I toast. "Aye!" They both say at the same time. We all take a bute at the same time and I instantly feel dizzy and faint.

"Oh dear. My lady, did you really have to give them the peaches?" Didymus's voice asks. "Of course. Mother had to go through it, so they have to as well."_ 'Laurel.'_ Of course she would be in on this. But before I can interrogate her as to why she would poison us, everything starts to spin.

...

Elegant masks and glittering gowns pass by in a blur. Laughter and shrieks of delight pierce through the air. I stand silently in the corner watching all the participants of the ball dance the night away in their finery.

_There's such a sad love  
Deep in your eyes  
A kind of pale jewel  
Opened and closed  
Within your eyes.  
I'll place the skies  
Within your eyes._

A glimpse of midnight blue in the sea of monochromatic colors catches my attention. I push through the crowd to find the blue mystery, but not succeeding.

_There's such a fooled heart  
Beating so fast  
In search of new dreams.  
A love that will last,  
Within your heart.  
I'll place the moon  
Within your heart._

The voice is hypnotic, and also coming from the direction of my current obsession. I have to catch it.

_As the pain sweeps through,  
Make no sense for you.  
Every thrill has gone.  
Wasn't to much fun at all,  
But will you be there for me-ee-ee?  
As the world falls down._

A young lady in a midnight blue dress hides behind a silver mask. She smirks and lowers it. I inhale sharply.

_Would you paint me mornings of gold?  
Spin me Valentine evenings?  
We've been strangers till now  
We're choosing the path  
Between the stars  
Leave your love, between the stars._

"Laurel." She smirks again and stalks towards me. "Hello Gabriel."

"You poisoned those peaches." Laurel chuckles a little bit. "Oh no. Not poison. Mother went through it and she's still alive, I assure you." She circles me. "Then where am I? Where's Puck and Nicholas?"

"Oh, they're fine. Enjoying themselves as you can see." She gestures to a group of people near us who part at her gesture. "Take a look." I do as she says and see Puck and Nicholas both dancing with beautiful girls. "I had hoped it wouldn't go this far. The nymphs should have lured more than Dadrid into their den."

"You put the nymphs in the Labyrinth?" I ask her, shocked. "Yes. And I was also the one who enchanted the dream crystals to look like peaches. Once you bit into them you were transported to here, the dreamworld. But, I have to admit, all the others were easier to convince that they should drop out of the competition, but then there's you."

She gestured again and the crowd merged together, blocking my view of Nicholas and Puck. "You see, unlike the others, you aren't motivated by riches, young and beautiful girls, or even your greatest dreams." It was my turn to smirk.

"That would be because I, unlike the others, know that my duty to my kingdom is more important than any temptation I cross." Laurel's mouth twitches into her usual facade of bemusement. "Is that so?"

She comes closer and whispers in my ear, her lips brushing it,"What about, Arella?" And with that, she sunk the dagger into my heart.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6:

"Arella is gone." I hiss back to Laurel. She starts to walk in circles around me. "Not here." Laurel comes up to my ear again. "Take a look." Once again, the crowd parts and there she stands.

I suck in a breath and stare. A young woman stands there, clothed in a deep red dress, with a red mask that have hazel eyes peeking out, and long, white hair tumbles down her back in curls. She begins to walk towards me and suddenly it's like we're the only ones here.

She opens her perfectly sculpted, pink lips and speaks with a voice like a violin. "Hello Gabriel."

"Arella. But...how?" I ask her, very confused. "Don't ask. Just enjoy this." She takes my hand in hers and lays my free hand on her waist. Arella looks up into my eyes and smiles. We begin to dance, and the memories that I had fought so hard to push down resurface.

...

_Arella and I smile and laugh as we run through the meadow. I finally catch her and we embrace. She smiles again and extends her wings and fly away. Chuckling, I extend my own and fly after her._

_"Come on Gabriel! You'll have to fly faster than that if you want your prize!" Arella taunts me. Her wings are different then every one else's. Instead of the normal white angel wings that looked like swan wings, she had oblong, purple wings that almost looked like that of a hummingbird. Because of this, she was an outcast. But I still loved her._

_I catch up to her and we use our wings to suspend us in the air. Her lips feel soft and cool against mine. They tasted like mint and cherries._

_..._

_"Father, please, you can't!" I begged my father. "No, Gabriel. She is a danger to our kingdom."_

_"How is she a danger?!" I shout at him. "Gabriel-"_

_"What?!" Father stares at me for a moment and sighs. "Gabriel...we found her committing the Seven Deadly Sins." My breath hitches and I choke on a sob. "No...no. You're lying!"_

_"Gabriel." My father says in a stern but calm voice. The voice that means the conversation is over. I just lost the fight._

_..._

_"Please! No! Please don't do this!" Arella screams out at the top of her lungs. "Arella Nis, you have been found guilty of committing the Seven Deadly Sins: Pride, Envy, Wrath, Greed, Gluttony, Sloth, and Lust." Father announces to the kingdom in a booming voice._

_Father nods to me, signaling that I must finish this. "Please Father." But he does not yield. I must read the punishment. I take a deep breath and speak the worst words of my life. "Arella Nis, as punishment for your crimes, you shall be stripped of your wings-"_

_"No!" Her mother cries out, but I must continue. "And burned at the stake."_

_"Gabriel, please. Don't do this." Arella pleads with me, tears slipping out of her eyes. I blink back my own. "On my count." Two executioners move to extend Arella's wings and raise their swords above the joints._

_"Please Gabriel."_

_"One."_

_"Don't!"_

_"Two."_

_"I love you!" The tears stung my eyes. "Three." The executioners bring down their swords, severing Arella's wings. Her cries of pain assault my ears as they tie her to the stake._

_The smoke from the fire that burns her pricks my eyes and the tears finally slip out. Father lays a hand on my shoulder. "It had to be done son. Always remember, your duty is to your kingdom. Always."_

...

I come out of my daze and stare at Arella. Or who I thought was Arella. "You aren't real." I say to her. "What?" She looks up at me quizzically. "You're not real. The real Arella died after I..." I struggle to say the words. "After I ordered her execution."

She smiles at me. "No I didn't. I'm here and that's all that matters." I shake my head and start to back away from her. "No. You're not real. This isn't real." The room begins to shake and Arella's smile disappears and turns into a sneer. "You shouldn't have said that."

The room begins to break apart and shatter like glass. Everyone returns and begins to scream. Arella disappears and turns into Laurel. "You just wasted your chance, Prince Gabriel." And the world goes dark.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7:

My head is pounding and I feel sick to my stomach. I groan and cradle my head. "Ugh. Where am I?"

"Hell. That's where you are." I turn my head in the direction of the voice. A young man, who seems to be about my age with sandy blonde hair, blue eyes and a lean build, sits across from me. "Where are we? Who are you? Why are we here?" The man holds up his hands to stop the onslaught of questions. "First of all, I am Lord Earhart, Duke of the Goblin City. We are in the dungeons of the palace, and well...we are here because we decided to compete for Princess Laurel's hand."

I look at him in confusion. "What do you mean?" Earhart sighs. "So...the goblins didn't tell you. Did they?"

"No."

"Well, before you princes came, we were running the Labyrinth. There were seven of us. Lord Alaric from the Junk Yards, Lord Baron from the Fiery Woods, Lord Carrel from the Labyrinth Gates, Lord Derek from the Dreamworld, Lord Ferron from the Outsider's Woods, and Lord Garret from the Labyrinth."

I listen to Earhart's story, surprised at how similar it is to mine. "She told us that she could offer us our dreams. Three of us caved in for those damn crystals. Two of us fell for the nymphs trap, then it was just me and Garret. Garret was lost to the dreamworld. Finally, it was just me. Laurel offered me one last chance to get out of there."

Earhart hangs his head and chuckles. "I took it. Hoping that I would be able to get out of here. But when I exited the dreamworld, I found myself here. And I've been stuck here since."

I sit in silence and let this information sink in. "She offered me the deal. But every single time I told her that I wouldn't take it." Earhart chuckles again. "You're lucky she didn't destroy you on the spot. By the way, what kingdom are you from."

"I'm Prince Gabriel. I'm from the Fallen Angel Kingdom." Earhart nods and stares at the ground. "We're never getting out of here, are we?" I ask him. He shakes his head and I sigh.

"So that's it, then. I'm never going to save my kingdom. My uncle will rule and my subjects will be led astray." Earhart only nods. I sigh and let my gaze wander. Seeing something odd, I stare at it. "Earhart."

"Hmm?"

"How long has that opening in the ceiling been there?"

"This entire time." I look at him incredulously. "Come on, I know a way out of here." Extending my wings, I grab ahold of Earhart and lift us up through the opening. Once we exit the dungeon, I gently set him down. The junkyard around us towers above and the entire place stinks. It stings my eyes.

"So, what now?" Earhart asks me. "You're going to go back home. I'm going to go talk to a certain princess." I spot the kingdom in the distance and narrow my eyes. The hand on my shoulder makes me come back to reality. "Gabriel, you're not going in there alone."

"Yes. I am."

"No. You're not. Because you've only been here for a few hours. I know the Goblin City like the back of my hand. You need me." Knowing that there is no way to change his mind, I sigh. "Lead the way."

...

After what seems like three hours, we finally make it to the Goblin City. "How do we get to the palace from here?" Earhart stands next to me and points out the way. "Through that alley, turn left, turn right at the last building and the entrance to the palace will be right in front of you."

"Thank you." Earhart puts his hand on my shoulder. "I wish you luck, Prince Gabriel."

"Thank you. May you get home safely. And thank you, again, for your help." Earhart grins at me. I reciprocate his expression and take off in the direction he told me.

The castle gates loom in front of me and I fly over them with ease. Several goblin guards rush me, but I dispose of them easily. Laurel was sitting on the throne waiting for me.

She was dressed in a white dress that clung to her like a second skin. Her hair cascaded down her back like a river. She looked at me darkly with her mismatched eyes and her mulberry lips were pursed.

"Prince Gabriel. I must admit, I did not think that you would make it this far." Laurel stood up, the dress falling away to reveal white armor and a silver sword. "So...I assume that we have to duel each other now. Am I correct?" I ask her.

She answers my question with a sadistic grin. "Let the games begin."


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8:

Laurel makes the first move, and lunges at my legs. I side-step her, but she quickly recuperates and swings her sword at my waist. Back and forth, we go, twisting and parrying to and fro, almost like a hypnotic dance.

"Enough." Laurel says, and I stop in the middle of a blow. "It's clear that we are both equally matched. So, why don't we make a deal?" Another crystal appears in her hand.

Laurel begins to play around with it. "You clearly aren't influenced by anything. Not even your dreams or your long lost love. But, I'm going to try one more time. Take the deal, Gabriel. If you take it, you can go home, rule over your kingdom, and never have to worry."

I cock my eyebrow. "What are you saying Laurel?" She smirks. "I'm offering you your kingdom's safety and happiness." My eyes widen and I stare at the crystal in her hand. In it, I see an image of my kingdom. I'm king, my brothers are happy, we're in heaven again, my uncle is nowhere to be seen.

'_She's serious. But...'_ "How do I not know it's a trap?" I ask her. Laurel smiles almost too sincerely. "Gabriel, you've come this far, haven't you? You're still alive. And the other princes are happy." _'She's lying.'_

"No. No, I talked to Earhart. None of the other lords have been seen since you had them run the Labyrinth." Laurel seems to be taken aback, but, she quickly comes back. "You can't take it on their account. Come on Gabriel, I'm offering everything you've ever wanted on a silver platter. Will you take the deal or not?"

"No." And with that response, Laurel's composure snaps. Her eyes narrow and are full of anger and rage and hate, her lips twist into a snarl. "How can you just say no?! I've given you every single chance to get out of this damn place, but you keep rejecting me!"_ 'She's becoming desperate. Perfect.'_

Smirking, I rush up to her. "That is because my duties are to my kingdom. And no goblin magic can fix any of our problems. You have no power over me." Laurel makes a choking sound. She shakes her head and grins. "Congratulations, Prince Gabriel. You just won." Laurel throws up the crystal into the air, watching it as it turns into dust.

The world around me becomes a blur, but there is one thing I can make out clearly. All I can see is Laurel's face, as the world falls down.

**The End**


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